Gen Con Days 1 and 2 Reflection

Walking into the hotel room at 11:30 PM with tired feet from miles of walking, sore shoulders from carrying bags of games, and a heart filled with joy from new and old friends laughing, strategizing, and putting all “to the roll of dice” means Gen Con is here, and it is the midway point. A weary body and buzzing mind are in reflection of what I have experienced and in planning what I still want to do. For now, I reflect on my top moments of the first two days of Gen Con 2026.

5. Dungeons and Dragons shares plans:

From the D&D Tower on West Washington Street, company leaders announced Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, and a revival of the gritty, post-apocalyptic D&D setting Dark Sun. Writer, producer, and actor Joe Manganiello took the stage to announce D&D Icons will bring Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and Luke Gygax back to creating classic settings. R.A. Salvatore brings back the Forgotten Realms hero Drizzt Do Urden. Greyhawk was highlighted in the reveal of Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen, where we will experience the ascent the very famous Tasha. Maybe the biggest reveal, at least the one with the most questions, was made by Darth Vader. He announced a partnership between Dungeons and Dragons and Star Wars in 2027. Vader said nothing more other than to stay tuned.

4. G.I. Joe Operation: Crimson Masquerade:

Friday opened with espionage as I joined a G.I. Joe RPG adventure. Five of us took on the roles of various Joes, as we went undercover to stop an arms dealer at a Metropolitan Art Museum Gala. We discovered Major Bludd was planning to sell state-of-the-art weapons systems to a foreign power. Our GM was awesome at teaching us the mechanics of the game and encouraging a game with serious role-play. Then, he let us set up a very cinematic fight at the end to top off the session. Let’s just say the final battle would be great on screen but was probably even more epic in our imaginations.

3. Dungeon Crawl Classic:

There isn’t much to say beyond this was a simple dungeon crawl of zero-level (basically civilians) characters who are certain to die. Not much story, not much role-play, we simply go in, fight, and try to survive. The laughs and action, with new and old friends at the table, made this a game to remember!

2. The Four Doors:

This may be my favorite game discovery of Gen Con 26! The Four Doors was created by Matt Leacock, Matthew Riddle, and Ben Pinchback. Matt Leacock is known for his very popular game Pandemic. I learned and played this game with four enthusiastic strangers who were fun and ready to play. We worked together to try to keep the evil shadow from closing the four doors of a magical lighthouse. Our job was to collect four sacred treasures to protect the doors, then cast a spell to ignite the lighthouse to stop the sinister shadows. This collaborative game was easy to learn, but we found it challenging to win, which is a good thing!

1. The Stars Come Out:

I had the chance to meet, face-to-face, authors Jim Zub and Stacey King, whom I have interviewed several times on the podcast Teachers in the Dungeon. While waiting in line to see Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, creators of DragonLance, I met Jesse Theiler and Joelle, creators of The Dungeon Cocktail Experience. Then Joe Manganiello stepped in front of me to talk to Margaret and Tracy. I came face to face with Joe’s dog Bubbles, with whom Joe carries everywhere. He turned to say hi to me, and I gave him a hi right back. It was a good afternoon checking the box of “rubbing elbows with celebrities.”

As I finish writing this, I have crossed the midnight hour, sliding into early Saturday morning, which means we have officially passed the halfway mark of Gen Con. I plan to post the top 5 moments of days 3 and 4 on the normal day Seeking Positivity In The Galaxy posts, which is Tuesday, August 4.  

Gen Con 2025: StarFinder 2nd Ed. panel

On Saturday morning in Room 245 of the Indiana Convention Center, excited fans filed in to listen to a panel of StarFinder creators to discuss what is new and give a little hint of what is coming. Many fans could barely get comfortable from all the excitement, but for good reason, StarFinder second edition to be released next month (for sale at Gen Con), and there was a lot to share. 

First, the panel discussed the new products from the second edition including the Core rulebook, a deluxe adventure, "Murder in the Metal City," a new novel by Tim Pratt, Era of the Eclipse, and a new card game.  Many of us in the audience hadn't had a chance to see these items, so it was good to hear what we could expect.  

Next the panel of StarFinder creators shared that a new adventure based on the online game, Warframes, will release as a pdf in October.  It is designed it be a quick adventure of two hours for your combat-heavy groups and a few more hours for your role players.  

The new book by Tim Pratt, Era of the Eclipse will fill in some gaps between eras that will help fill in the timeline of StarFinder.  I purchased the book and will give a review here on Seeking Positivity in the Galaxy later. 

Then the panel got to some new, unannounced content.  They began by showing a trailer for a new video game to come out on Kickstarter titled StarFinder: After the Light.  Panel members described it in the vein of Balder's Gate, but most interestingly, it appears that it will have a romance component which should be interesting.  

A couple new book covers were revealed in the panel discussion.  First, was the cover for a new book of Galactic Ancestries.  Of course, not much could be said, but one panelist revealed that he is working on a race of oozes, and another panelist noted that several Pathfinder races will be included with expanded ancestries from other planets.  This book is designed to continue the canon of the StarFinder galaxy which when asked, will connect to the original first edition books.  It was noted that the rich information from the first edition books are still relevant even thought the stat blocks and other game mechanics are not.  The other book cover which depicts a space battle with some really cool purple lightning magic shooting across one side and space ships on the other side, does not have a title.  The panel couldn't really say much about this book except that it is an adventure book and think haunted space station/gas station.  There is a lot that could go into that, so we wait.  

In the Q/A session, a fan asked if ship combat is still in playtest.  The simple answer is yes, but they are close and they want to be sure to get it right. Finally, an audience member asked about new classes.  There are new classes being discussed weekly, so we can expect to see some new classes.  

At the conclusion of the panel, many fans, understandibly, rushed to the stage to meet the creators face to face.  This is what Gen Con is all about.  

My Top 5 Gen Con Moments

Gen Con is a massive gaming convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This year was my third time attending the convention, and I learn something new each year which makes the next year even better.  It is the second time that I have presented at the Trade Day, attended by librarians, educators and gaming entrepreneurs including game designers, and game store owners the day before the convention opens.  I presented with my friend and Teachers in the Dungeon podcast cohost Dan Reem as we discussed strategies to integrate game stores, schools, and public libraries in building gaming communities.  The presentation went well, and like the previous year, we gained a good amount of insight from our audience.  

It was a great way to start the convention.  Then, Thursday morning came and there were 4 full days of a gaming convention!  Here are my Top 5 moments of the 2024 Gen Con: 

5. Hanging out with friends:  I was fortunate to attend the convention with my good friends Dan and Marc who are a part of D&D games that I play at home, and we also work together.  We had time to hang out with our friend Adam Watson of Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Games.  We played game demos, ate at the food trucks, played a little pinball, and walked the show floor looking at new games and art.  I also had the opportunity to visit with Michael Witwer, co-author of Art and Arcana; Margaret Weis, co-author of  DragonLance; listener, Gabriel from Bucky Productions; Dan Crawford of Kings and Cabbages; Ryan Calhoun of Cephlopod Studios and more.  Meeting up with friends is quickly becoming a top reason to attend Gen Con. 

4. Starfinder by Paizo:  In 2023, I had the opportunity to play a Starfinder game which was an enjoyable experience and kept me interested in this RPG system.  I purchased the core rule book and the beginner box.  So, in 2024, I signed up for another game, but this year, I used the beginner box to create a character for the game.  I sat down Thursday morning at 8:00am for a 5 hour gaming session, and I had a wonderful time.  The game was led by an experienced GM from Salt Lake City, and I played with two young men from southern Indiana.  The boys hadn't played Starfinder before, but were experienced D&D players.  We all had a great time learning the system, and our GM was super patient in helping us to have fun and learn the game.  I am a believer and happy to find a science fiction RPG I enjoy.  I went to the Paizo booth later that afternoon and continued to build my Starfinder collection of books.  

3. My new favorite game:  In 2023, I visited the Czech Games HQ where they host their store, demos, and game playthroughs.  I played Galaxy Truckers, which I love, but I had my eye on a new game titled The Lost Runes of Arnak.  I never had a chance to play Arnak in 2023, so I had to wait another year to try this out.  On Thursday night in 2024, I finally had the chance to learn how to play The Lost Runes of Arnak, and it has quickly become my favorite game to play!  Besides the cool archeology theme, I love the combination of worker placement and deck building.  I had a chance to play this game several times (see Moment #2).  This is a highly recommended game if you are in the market.  

2. Late-night games:  We were fortunate in 2024 to have an onsite hotel room which was a first for us.  This opens up several opportunities for evening activities in addition to a chance for downtime during the day.  We discovered the open gaming area where players can play games all hours of the day and night.  It was here that we played The Lost Ruins of Arnak in addition to Grand River Glass works.  Dan, Marc, Adam and I all played late into the night Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  This open gaming room is where the essence of Gen Con is realized.  

1. 50 Years of Dungeons and Dragons:  This by far was the highlight of 2024.  There were many activities with the creators and stars of Wizards of the Coast.  I attended the 50 Years of D&D in history books with Michael Witwer, David Ewalt, Jon Peterson and Ben Riggs moderated by Matt Forbeck.  This was a great discussion of many turning points of the game through the years.  The United States Post Office was on hand to release the D&D stamp set which went on sale Thursday, August 1.  I was also able to secure a ticket to pick up the 2024 Players Handbook which was offered for sale a month prior to its general release.  D&D also had a massive presence throughout the entire convention with live plays, a ballroom of games, and several panel sessions.  

This convention is an amazing spectacle of table-top gaming.  If you plan to attend in 2025, be sure to secure your badge early as the 2024 convention was completely sold out. 

5 Take-Aways from Gen Con 2022

I finally made it happen!  After planning to attend my first Gen Con in 2020, two years later, I finally attended my first Gen Con.  It was an amazing experience and it lived up to all my expectations and more.  Here are my Top 5 takeaways from my first visit. 

5. The Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Convention Center are the perfect hosts for this event. 

I'm sure it is old hat to veterans of Gen Con, but for me being a first-time attendee and expecting 50,000 plus gamers/fans, I was a little anxious about the crowds.  Even though the vendor hall would get crowded, I never felt the crush of the crowd even on the largest day of attendance.  There is plenty of space between all of the different halls of the convention center.  In addition, the skywalks to three different hotels and the floor of Lucas Oil Field helped to make the convention seem personal but spread the events out to avoid crowding.  Also, having the Food Trucks outside on Georgia Street, right outside of the convention center, helped give another space for gaming fans to hang out.  

4. Food Trucks:  The management and selection of food trucks and other food and beverage vendors were exceptional.  This short half-block section of Georgia Street gave everyone an opportunity to step outside for a mask break and to grab a bite to eat and maybe even enjoy a beer or wine.  I took
advantage of all of the above.  The organizers scheduled three phases of food trucks to cycle through the day, so fans could go out for snacks or meals and find a different selection of trucks.  They also have stand-by, offical pizza, beer, soda and wine vendors for the event who were on hand all hours.  As an add-on for the Food Trucks on the street was the Friday night block party that just added more outside time and standing (after sitting most of the day), which is just what the doctor ordered at the end of day three for us.  

3. While gamers are an extremely diverse group of people, they are some of the most awesome people in which to hang out for four crowded days. I had the opportunity to sit down

with dozens of complete strangers to play games.  Everyone was totally open minded and helpful when trying to figure out how to play games.  Some, like me, were new to the games and we had the help of volunteers or other players at the table to figure out the mechanics and tricks of playing.  Another aspect I really appreicated, was that no one became agitated and some even were very welcoming when I just wanted to watch over the shoulder to see a game played.  One area that I really liked watching where the gamers were either totally immersed or gracious and welcoming were the Fantasy Flight Star Wars Legion players.  I kept reminding myself that we were all there for one thing, to play games.  In my case, I was there to learn games, but nevertheless all were great and made the experience fun for everyone.  

2. Fans of the Dragonlance setting and books are a passionate bunch!  I attended the book release of the newest Dragonlace book, Dragons of Deciet by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  The authors were on hand to share their thoughts and stories of writing a new book for Dragonlance after some 25 years since the last book.  They also shared many stories of creating the Dragonlance world and struggles of getting the novel published.  Weis and Hickman are a charming pair and made the session a complete joy, but what really struck me was the passion of the fans.  When Hickman shared a video he produced to introduce the book, I was caught off guard when I realized that fans all around me were in tears.  I wasn't necessarily surprised that fans would be emotional, I was just caught off guard in the moment of a touching moment at this convention.  

1. The Games!  What else do you go to Gen Con for than the games?  What impressed me the most were all of the opportunities to play in several different settings.  If you wanted to get a flavor of a certain game, all you had to do was visit the booth of the company and you could catch a 5-10 minute demo of the game.  If you wanted to get a full playthrough, you could sign up to play the games with volunteers who knew the ins and outs of the games.  I didn't come across a single volunteer who struggled with this task.  If you were lucky, you could even walk-on to some of these full playthrough games without signing up like my good friend Ross and I did here to play Viticulture.  The last way to experience the games was to buy one and find a corner somewhere and play with friends.  It was an incredible experience of games, games and games!  

Now I am left wondering what I can do to make next year's Gen Con even more of a wonderful experience.  What will it take?  Bring more friends or family?  More detailed planning?  Schedule more games?  Later nights?  More impromptu playing in the halls?  Who know?  One thing I do know is that I will be back to Gen Con over and over again!  See you in Indy in 2023!